In the LeGroup research group we are happy to announce Edukata, the innovative learning activity design toolkit (PDF). Update 24.9.2013: We now have a website for the Edukata: http://www.edukata.fi Edukata is a tool kit for educators. It helps them to implement collaborative design process to create innovative classroom practices. It is based on empirically tested […]
Category: Design
In Finland we have a great tradition of Open University. Almost all the Finnish universities provide Open University courses. The principal idea behind the Open University is to promote educational and regional equality. Every year close to 100 000 people take part in the Open University courses in Finland. In a country of 5 million+, […]
Matti Nelimarkka writes about backchannels and live participation tools: “Backhannels and live participation tools are used e.g. in education, conferences and TV shows to increase the interactivity and participation of learners, participants and viewers. Research-wise the domain is scattered across different fields, such as HCI, CSCW and education. This workshop aims to draw together researchers, […]
In many things the middle is the best. MOOCs versus no MOOCs? The Web is the best. Photo by synestheticstrings / Wikimedia Commons. The massive open online courses are seen by some as a disruptive innovation in education. For instance, Michael Barber and his fellow lobbyists of the Pearson recently published a booklet with a […]
Photo by Lienhard Schulz / WIkimedia Commons. Read about the Rütli School in Berlin. A couple of days ago Esko Kilpi wrote about emergence and self-organization with references to the Wired’s article The GitHub Generation: We’re All in Open Source Now and Sugata Mitra’s latest TED talk Build a School in the Cloud. I started […]
Photo by Nico Kaiser / WIkimedia Commons. In the last ten years design thinking has been one of the most used buzzwords among technology and design circles. In my book Designing Learning Tools — Methodological Insights I also use the term. To be honest, one of the sections is titled “Design Thinking: Solving Wicked Problems […]
This week, I saw a presentation about the Muuvit, a Finnish start-up with a teaching and learning tools for elementary schools. Their product is a hybrid of tangible materials that comes in a box and an online community. The idea is to promote children to move more: to play outside, to jump around in a […]
One of the reasons why I enjoy working in the learning environments research group — and in the School of Arts, Design and Architecture — is the possibility to design and build prototypes. In our academic practice we aim, no only to study and do research on learning environments and learning tools but also to […]
In the technology-enhanced learning field the year 2012 has been the year of MOOCs (massive open online courses). I definitely support the idea of opening possibilities for self-driven and self-motivated students to study and learn online. The high-profile projects and endeavors in the MOOCs-business are also looking for smart ways to initiate peer-to-peer activities, such […]
In Finland the discussion on tablets in schools has reach a new level. It looks like a real hype. Principals, heads of school districts and library directors are feverishly trying to find out cash from their budgets to acquire some of these devices to be used in education. Those who praise tablets usability in learning […]
Teemu Leinonen 